Making Memories

Just when life was feeling stagnant and stale... my niece Jamie came over to spend the afternoon with me yesterday! We....

• Watched the video of her week at camp, pausing to point out the significant people and scenes...
• Watched Frozen complete with pausing to catch the scene with Rapunzul... and discuss important plot points... and to try to figure out how to do Anna's braid/bun... I said, "I wonder how they did that braid... " Jamie said, "ANIMATION!" 
• Had a glass of chocolate milk and an ice cream sandwich (her) and shared a banana...
• Gave a lesson on cross-stitch and helped her sew a few stitches at which point she agreed that it was indeed "VERY HARD" and she was going to just let me do it myself...
• Watched countless episodes of My Little Pony, something about a Pet Shop, Pound Puppies...
• Checked the garden to see what was growing...
• Checked the blackberry bushes in the lower yard and determined they're about a week from ripe...
• Climbed the hill to the front yard and slid out of my crocs and socks on the steep hill and giggled over it...
• Picked blackberries from the bushes in the front yard which are about a week past ripe...
• Made clover necklaces and tiaras...
• Sat in the porch swing...
• Searched Pinterest for craft ideas with cardboard (something we have in abundance around here)...
• She took a boat ride with Pop and Oscar the dachshund...

And that was my very Jamie afternoon.

It's amazing how much joy a kid can inject into your day! Of course, you have to be willing to slow down and give them your undivided attention. I know parents can't always do that... and folks with 9 to 5 jobs can't do that. But the one thing I have in abundance is TIME!  I'm glad to have plenty of time to share. She may not remember every single detail but she'll remember the times we spent together. She mentioned her Gramps yesterday, something they had done together (I can't remember now what it was) and I thought that was pretty special that she has great memories of Gramps who passed away two years ago.

Today I'm feeling the effects of the extra activity but basking in the glow of memory making.

Austin is spending the day with his girlfriend so I've had the Whine Cellar all to myself. I've worked on my cross stitch and watched tv and cuddled with some kitties. The weather is too hot and muggy for me to be outside.

Hope your week is going well! Love and hugs!